N peitbs



(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet l J. E. EEEE & J. E. WEEELEE.

MACHINE FOR MAKING WIRE FASTENERS FOR BOTTLE STOPPEES.

No. 378,177. Patented Feb.2l, 1888.

N PEYERs. Pholn ljihogmphcr. Washingwn. D. Q

(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 2;

J.,H. REED & J. E. WHEELER. MACHINE FOR MAKING WIRE FASTENERS FOR BOTTLE STOPPERS.

No. 878,177. Patented'Feb. 21, 1888.

Z 1 7i"? Zia a 7' 6% Z a." a? a. m I

WITNEEEEE- N. Pnsas. Phutablhagmphcr, Washington, 0.0

lthvirnn States Patent @rrrcn.

J AMES ll. REED AND JOHN E. \VHEELER, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS; SAID REED ASSIGNOR TO SAID WHEELER.

MACHINE FOR MAKlNG WIRE FASTENERS FOR BOTTLE-STOPPERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 378,177, dated February 21, 1888.

Application filed December '7, 1885. Serial No. 184.953. (N model.)

12 0 all whom it may concern-.-

Be it known that we, J AMES H. Reno and JOHN E. XVHEELER, both of Lynn, county of Essex, State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Making \Vire Fastenings for Bottle-Stoppers, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is specification.

Our invention relates to a machine for making wire fastenings for securing the corks in bottles, the said fastenings consisting of a pair of wires having a portion near the middle of their length twisted together and untwisted portions at either side thereof, forming a pair of independent end pieces extending from either side of the twisted portion, which is intended to pass around or partially around the neck of the bottle, while the ends are brought up over the sides of the cork at differentpoints of its circumference and are twisted together on top.

In previous patents, No. 261,907, granted to O. Ii. Chaplin August 1, 1882, and No. 314,428, dated March 24, 1885, there are shown and described machines for making wire fastenings composed of a single piece of wircbent to form a loop, and having a portion between the loop and the free ends of the wire twisted, and some portions of the mechanism of the present machine are substantially the same as shown in the said patents.

The machine forming the subject of the present invention is simpler than those of the said 5 patents, and differs in principle of operation from them, in that two wires are supplied to the machine instead of a single wire, which has to be folded or looped and then twisted.

The machine forming the subject of the prescut invention comprises feeding mechanism which carries forward in unison two wires from a suitable reel or holder; a. guide into and through which the said wires are carried, and which has a wire-passage of sufficient size to hold the wires side by side, but preventing them from turning one about the other in the said passage; a gripping device or chuck which seizes the wires at a distance from the end of the said guide, which distance determines the length of the twisted portion of the fastener, and a cutting device which severs the pair of wires that have been twisted to make the finished fastener, together with actuating mechanism by which the said devices or elements are operated at the proper times with relation to one another. The feed is intermittent and the jaws or gripping and twisting devices are open and preferably stationary while the feed is taking place, and at the end of the feed movement are operated to seize the wires and then rotate them to give the desired twist to the portion between the gripping device and the guide.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a machine for making wire fasteners embodying this invcntion; Fig. 2, a plan view thereof; Fig. 3,

a section on line at [0, Fig. 1, showing the cutting device and its actuating mechanism; Fig.

4, a section on line y y, Fig. 1, showing the actuating mechanism for the gripping device 7e and for twisting the wires; Fig. 5, a longitudinal section of the gripping and twisting devices on a larger scale, and Fig. 6 a view of one of the finished fasteners.

The pair of wires a. a (best shown in Fig. 2) are led from a suitable reel or holder through a guide, a, to the feed-rollers I) Z), provided with gears b If, meshing together, and the latter having fastened to it a toothed hub or pinion, :2, nieshingwith and intermittingly actu- 3 ated by a gear, (Z, itself driven from the main shaft 6 of the machine by the following mechanism: The said main shaft 6, driven by a pulley, e, and belt a, or other suitable devices, is provided with a gear, 6, meshing 3 with a gear, 6*, on the shaft 0", which has splined upon it a beveled gear, 6, driving a beveled gear, f, on a shaft, f, having hearings in the upright or frame-work A, which supports the feed-rollers and gearing connected e therewith, previously described.

The shaft f, which receives a continuous rotary movement from the main drivingshaft. is provided with a crank, f, connected by a connecting rod or pitman, f, with a pawl-op crating lever, f, pivoted at f to an oscillating arm, f, turning on the same arbor or shaft as the gear d, but capable of moving independently thereof. The lever f has a slight movement independent of the arm f, and is provided at its end with a tooth or projection, f, engaging a notch in a dog or pawhf, so

that when the lever f moves a short distance independently of the arm f toward the right, as-seen in Fig. 1, it turns the dog f raising its tooth from engagement with the gear cl, so that in a half-rotation of the crank f from the position shown in Fig. 1 the arm f swings independently of the gear d, and the feed'rollers b b remain motionless; but at the end of the half-rotation of the crank 1, when the connecting-rod f begins to move in-the other direction, it at first turns the arm f independ ently of the arm f, and through the projection f throws the dog f into engagement with the wheel d, after which, in the remainder of the half-rotation of the crank f, the arm f and wheel (I are moved and cause the feedrollers b b to turn and feed forward a length of the double wire a a sufficient for a single fastener. The arm f is held by a friction device, f (see Fig. 2,) so that it does not move until after the movement of the arm f* with relation to it is completed.

The mechanism thus far described for feedin g the wire is substantially the same as shown in Patent No. 314,428, before referred to, and is not by itself specifically claimed in this application.

The crank f is slotted, as shown in Fig. 1, so that the point of attachment of the connecting-rod f therewith may be changed to vary the throw of the arm f, and consequently the length of the wire fed at each operation, thus enabling the length of the fasteners to he varied.

The pair of wires fed by the rollers b Z) enter and pass through a guide, 9, supported by a bracket, 9, from the upright or framework A, having a passage or passages at the point where the wire issues from it of such size and shape as to hold the two wires side by side and prevent the one from turning over or about the other therein, so that if a rotarymovement is imparted to the wires at any point beyond the month of the said passage or passages the portion of the wire between the said point and said mouth will be twisted, the guide practically forming a holding device for the untwisted part of the wires at one end of the fastener, or forming one member of the twisting mechanism, which member must either be stationary or have a rotary movement in the opposite direction to that of the other member. Beyond the guide 9 the wires are carried through a hollow spindle, h, (see Fig. 5,) turning in a bearing in the uprightB and restrained from longitudinal movement in said hearing by a shoulder, h, bearing against a washer, 7;, at one end of the said bearing, and a circular nut, h fastened to the said spindle h at the other end of the said bearing. The said tubular spindle h has fastened to it a pinion, i, meshing with the teeth of a mutilated gear, i, fastened upon and rotated by the main shaft 6, the said gear having teeth extending about halfway around the periphery, so that the spindle h is rotated during a one-half revolution of the main shaft and stationary during the other half, the gear being so set with relation to the crank f 2 of the feed-actuating mechanism that the rotation of the shaft h takes place during the time that the feed-rolls b b are at rest, and the reverse. for the purpose of twisting the middle part of the two wires together, and in order to make it effective the portion of the wires at one side of the part to be twisted must be engaged with the said rotating shaft, which is effected by the wire-gripping device consisting of a pair of jaws, k 7c, pivoted on a hub, It", having a rotating and sliding movement on the tubular arbor or shaft m, supported in the upright B, the said hub k having a groove, engaged with the fork n of the shipping-lever n, piv' oted at n on lugs fastened to the upright B, and acted upon by a spring, a (see Fig. 1,) tending to move the hub is away from the spin dle h, where the said hub will be engaged by a stop, 70*, which will prevent rotary movement of the said hub and jaws when in this position.

The face of the mutilated gear 1" is provided with a cam projection, 19, which during the time that the teeth of the said gear are acting on the pinion i throws the hub k toward the spindle h and retains it in this position. The jaws-k 7c are providedwith inclined surfaces k which, when the hub isthus pressed by the cam 12 toward the spindle h, enter a correspondingly-inclined socket or recess, 7?, in the end of the said spindle, by which the said jaws are forced toward one another, gripping the pair of wires a a between them, and also having sutficient friction with the surface If to cause them and the hub is to revolve with the pinion i and hollow spindle h, so that the portion of wire between the mouth of the guide 9 and the point held by the jaws 70 k is twisted, as clearly shown in Fig. 5, the wire having no longitudinal movement at this time, as the feed mechanism is then at rest. The stop It", by its engagement with the notch 70 holds the hub 70* in the proper position, and causes the jaws k k to engage the pair of wires a a side by side, as shown in Fig. 5. The twisting of the wire takes place during about a halt turn of the main shaft 6, at the end of which the cam 19 passes from beneath the shipper-lever n, and the hub It moves away from the spindle h, withdrawing the jaws k is from within the tapering socket 7L5, the said jaws then being separated by the action of .a spring, 7c, (see Fig. 5,) sufficiently far to permit the twisted part of the wire to run freely between them. Then another feed movement. takes place, carrying the twisted pair of wires forward a distance equal to the length desired for the finished fastener a (see Figs. 1 and 2,) at the end of which feed movement the fastener last made is cut off by a cutting device consisting of a stationary member, 1*, (best shown in Fig. 3,) fastened to the upright B and provided with an opening, through which the wires pass, and a movable member, 9', pivoted at r and provided with a cutting-edge, 1,

This rotation ofthe spindle h is which, when the said member is turned on its pivot, passes across the opening in the mem ber r, severing the wire.

The movable member 1- is turned on its pivot to thus sever the wire after the feed has taken place by a cam, W, on the main shaft 0, and is then moved back to leave the passage in member 1 u nobstrncted by a spring, r, after the projecting portion of the cam 7' has passed the cooperating project-ion r on the movable member r. A

If desired to vary the length of the twisted portion a at the middle of the fastener, the guide 5 may be moved with relation to the upright B, the entire frame-work A, which supports the said guide and wirefeeding mechanism, being movable on a platform, A, (see Fig. 2,) with relation to the frame-work B B, for the twisting and severing devices, and be ing held, when properly adjusted, by clamping device A. (See Fig. 2.) The beveled gear 0 moves with the frame-work A along its shaft 6 and when the position of the said framework is changed the throw of the actuating-crank f 2 of the feed mechanism must be correspondingly adjusted.

What we claim is- 1. The combination of mechanism for inter-.

mittingly feeding a pair of wiresforward in unison, a guide through which the said wires pass, having a month which prevents the wires from turning one about the other in the said guide, and a gripping and twisting device and actuating mechanism therefor, by which the wires are seized at a point beyond the mouth of the guide and rotated with relation thereto, twisting the wires one about the other between the said guide and gripping device, substantially as described.

2. The combination of mechanism for feeding a pair of wires forward in unison with a holding device, as guide g, and gripping and twisting mechanism for holding the said wires stationary at one point and rotating them at another point to twist them about each other, and a cutter, whereby the wires are cut into lengths having the middle portion twisted and the ends untwisted, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of the intermittinglyoperating feed mechanism with the stationary V guide, a revolving spindle provided with a pinion, a wiregripping device and shipper therefor, and a mutilated gear co-operating with the said pinion, and a cam cooperating with the said gripping device, substantially as described, whereby the said jaws are closed and engaged with the hollow spindle during the time that it is rotated by the mutilated gear, as set forth.

at. The combination of mechanism for feeding forward a pair of wires and for holding said wires stationary at one point with the wire gripping jaws and actuating mechanism by which they are engaged with the wires and caused to rotate, and a stop for said jaws, by which they are held, when disengaged from the wires, in position to receive the said wires side by side upon their next engagement therewith, substantially as described.

JAME$ H. REED. JOHN E. XVHEELER. W'itnesses:

XVM. A. MAoLEoD, ROBERT WALLACE. 

